


Working Title: Bosco the Bear and the Awful Tummyache

by impulserun



Series: Editor AU [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Epistolary, Established Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Take Your Fandom to Work Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impulserun/pseuds/impulserun
Summary: Zuko helps his colleague review a manuscript out of the goodness of his heart. He's... perplexed, to say the least.
Series: Editor AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920814
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67





	Working Title: Bosco the Bear and the Awful Tummyache

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
> 
> If you're reading this on mobile, please read it in landscape mode! :)

Sunshine (Sunflower )(Sparkling Heart )  
online  
  
zukooo  
3.06pm ✓✓  
sweetheart  
3.06pm ✓✓  
light of my life  
3.06pm ✓✓  
my sun and stars  
3.06pm ✓✓  
?  
3.07pm  
nth, just wanted to say hi (Heart)(Heart)  
3.07pm ✓✓  
Oh  
3.07pm  
Hi :)  
3.08pm  
what u doing buddy?  
3.08pm ✓✓  
I'm helping Jin review a manuscript for a new children's book but uh  
3.08pm  
Not sure if this is a Jin thing or an Earth citizen thing, but it's just  
3.08pm  
Weird  
3.09pm  
what's it about?  
3.09pm ✓✓  
Bosco. You remember, the bear?  
3.09pm  
... the one that ate people?  
3.10pm ✓✓  
  


*

Song Ke-lin  
song.kl@cabbagemail.com  
84 Juehuan-jie #04-04  
Middle Ring  
Ba Sing Se  
The United Earth Nation 960084

Working title:  
Bosco the Bear and the Awful Tummyache

Bosco the Bear was having a Beary Bad Day.  **Zuko Higuchi** 10 minutes ago  
Bear pun in first line??? Jin, _really_?? 

His poor tummy had been moaning and groaning for ages.

At breakfast, he had only eaten half of his usual meal. Not even his favourite delicacies could tempt him to eat.

The Earth King soon grew worried to see his beloved companion so poorly.

"Bosco my dear, whatever is the matter?" asked Earth King Kuei. **Zuko Higuchi** 10 minutes ago  
Check if author obtained permission to use his name from the Earth King's estate, better to be safe

"Rawr," said Bosco.

The Earth King put forth a royal decree; anyone who could cure his beloved Bosco would be lavishly rewarded.

Soon, healers came from all over the land to examine poor Bosco's aching tummy, even from from places as far and distant as the lands of ice and snow far to the north.

But none could cure the poor bear of his ailment.

The first to arrive was Yao, a resident of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se.

"Your Majesty," he said, as he stroked his long white beard, "I am a skilled veterinarian. I have cared for the animals of the Ba Sing Se Zoo for these many years. Rest assured, I will soon have Bosco feeling like himself again."

Yao pulled out his tools, took the bear's vitals, and declared that Bosco was suffering from a bad case of indigestion. He prescribed a generous dose of herbal medicine, certain that he would be fully recovered come morning.

But Bosco's illness persisted.

The second candidate was a proud, golden-eyed young man from the distant shores of the Fire Nation.

"I am Sage Reizo of the Fire Nation's Bhanti tribe. The Fire Lord himself sent for me when he heard news of Bosco's illness. I will do my best to treat him, Your Majesty." **Zuko Higuchi** 10 minutes ago  
That's... not what the Bhanti tribe healers specialise in.... That's not how this works....

Sage Reizo set to work, examining Bosco's stomach with a masterful display of spiritbending. He determined that the _chi_ channels in Bosco's body were blocked, and that the blockage was causing his agony. Sending his healing phoenix fire through the channels, he declared the blockage dispersed and his patient fully healed. **Zuko Higuchi** 9 minutes ago  
THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST

But come morning, Bosco's stomach pains had returned.

At last, having received word of Bosco's recurring illness, the Northern Water Tribe deigned to send their finest healer.

"I am Sifu Arnaq, of the Northern Water Tribe," she announced. "I come bearing the water of the Spirit Oasis, water so potent that it can snatch life back from the jaws of death itself. Surely this will set Bosco's stomach to rights." **Zuko Higuchi** 9 minutes ago  
If anyone from NWT reads this they're going to flip. 0/10, not worth it, take out the Spirit Water and make Arnaq a regular waterbending healer

Everyone watched with bated breath as the glowing water sank into his fur.

But come morning, Bosco was growling and gnashing his teeth again.

"My poor Bosco," King Kuei lamented, as he sent the last of the healers away, "will nothing help ease his suffering?"

And a single tear rolled down his cheek. **Zuko Higuchi** 8 minutes ago  
What is this, a drama serial?

At last, one young servant girl, newly employed at the palace, dared to speak.

"Your Majesty," the servant girl said, "if I may share my humble opinion, something must have happened before each dawn for Bosco's ailment to return so regularly. If it pleases you, I will stay with Bosco overnight to watch over him. By morning, you will have your answer."

Night fell and the residents of the palace began to retire for the day. The dutiful servant girl took up her post in Bosco's  bedchambers with naught but a blanket, watching from the corner of the room as he tossed and turned in his fine silk sheets. **Zuko Higuchi** 7 minutes ago  
This bear has a nicer bed than me. This is depressing.

She watched as the night grew steadily darker, hardly daring to move as Bosco shifted and grumbled in his slumber.

Under the cover of the night, every shadow seemed sinister. Even the slightest sound left her on high alert. The little servant girl hardly dared to move, save to keep herself from nodding off.

Suddenly, there came the faint rustling sound of fabric. The servant girl stilled, listening earnestly.

There came the rustling sound again, and then, two heartbeats later, the distinct creaking sound of the floorboard outside the door.

Assassins! **Zuko Higuchi** 7 minutes ago  
WTF?

The servant girl jumped to her feet, throwing off her blanket, but before she could run for aid, Bosco leapt into action. **Zuko Higuchi** 7 minutes ago  
WTF??

In a flurry of claws and snapping teeth, Bosco was upon them.

With a terrible roar, he sank his teeth into the arm of the first assassin and tossed him into the air.

SNAP!

Crunch, munch. **Zuko Higuchi** 6 minutes ago  
WTF???

The assassins were no more. **Zuko Higuchi** 6 minutes ago  
JIN, WHAT THE FUCK

On shaky legs, the little servant girl slipped from the room and went to call the guards.

"You mean to say that my dear Bosco was protecting me from assassins?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With a flourish, the Chief of Security presented the King with an intricate jade seal — all that was left of the sellswords who had met their untimely demise.  **Zuko Higuchi** 4 minutes ago  
AND WHAT WAS HE DOING LETTING ASSASSINS INTO THE PALACE TO BE EATEN BY BEARS

"We've sent men to track down the nobles who hired the assassins," he said. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, that the truth will be uncovered."

The Earth King sent for Yao to treat Bosco's indigestion again. The medicine did its work, and Bosco  was soon back to his normal, happy self.

For her part in uncovering the assassination plot and putting an end to Bosco's discomfort, the servant girl was bestowed with the highest honour; she was rewarded with a house in the Upper Ring, where her family could live for the rest of their days.

And they lived happily ever after. **Zuko Higuchi** 4 minutes ago  
JIN, KIDS ARE GOING TO READ THIS THING. PARENTS ARE GOING TO READ THIS BOOK TO THEIR KIDS AS BEDTIME STORIES. JIN, THIS IS A KID'S BOOK ABOUT A BEAR **_EATING PEOPLE._**

THE END

*

From: jin@jasminedragon.com

Subject: RE: Hey, can you take a look at this for me?

To: z.higuchi@jasminedragon.com

Hey Zuko,

Thanks for helping me look through that manuscript! 

Yeah, I can kind of see where you might be concerned, since you didn't grow up here. The thing is, Bosco the Bear is kind of a national hero/icon here, especially in Ba Sing Se. The Dai Li always rolled out the Bosco the Bear float for every national parade. He's like, our mascot or something. We heard about his heroic defense of King Kuei I every year on Liberation Day.

I'll probably just tell Sales and Marketing to restrict distribution to the Earth states or something.

Cheers,

Jin

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I had the TIME OF MY LIFE writing this eufgheegjeij 
> 
> I don't handle children's books, but another colleague in my department does. We mainly do children's nonfiction about history and science and stuff. I'm sure she'd leap at the chance to publish a book about Bosco the Bear, National Hero TM if she were Jin.


End file.
